The pesky plastic bag
We see them in grocery stores, trash cans, at the landfill, on the side of the road, or blowing in ![No Plastic Bags]()
the breeze. The one place we don't want to see those plastic bags and other variations of plastic film is in your curbside recycling!
This type of plastic film is not recyclable in your curbside recycling, but can be often times be dropped back off at many grocery stores. There, the bags are recycled into things like speed bumps or outdoor furniture.
The reason this type of plastic isn't accepted in your curbside recycling is because it gets caught in equipment at the recycling facility jamming it up and halting sorting and processing of recyclables.
Tips for recycling at the grocery store...
- Make sure the bags are clean and dry
- Do not include compostable or degradable bags, pre-wash salad bags, frozen food bags or material that has been painted or glued
Did you know?
- The petroleum in 14 plastic bags could drive a car one mile
- Americans use over 14 billion plastic bags a year
- It takes 70% more global warming gasses to make a paper bag than a plastic bag
- Plastic bags do not biodegrade in landfills
- Cities spend up to 17 cents per bag in disposal costs